Bison men rout Valley City State; No. 1 Indiana next

FARGO – North Dakota State disposed of the 24th-ranked team in the lowest division of college men’s basketball Friday night.

Now, after their season-opening 93-47 whipping of NAIA Valley City State, the Bison prepare for Monday night’s game at Indiana – the preseason No. 1 among the college big boys.

“We are very excited,” said junior guard Mike Felt, who led the Bison with 23 points. “This is our chance to play the No. 1 team in the nation and show what we can do.”

What the Bison showed Friday night against Valley City is they can score inside and from the outside.

The Bison jumped out to a 12-5 lead scoring on two dunks and four layups. They know easy shots like won’t come easy against Indiana.

“Probably not,” said Bison junior forward Taylor Braun, who scored 19 points. “We’ve got a huge opportunity ahead of us. We have to take what they can give us.”

The Bison resorted to outside shooting to produce a 20-0 run that gave them a 34-7 lead. Four 3-pointers and four 15-footers is something the Bison hope they can generate at Indiana.

“We definitely have to hit our outside shots when they are open,” Braun said. “We have a huge opportunity ahead of us.”

It’s also an opportunity to play against the preseason national player of the year in 7-foot sophomore Cody Zeller. He is one of five returning starters from last year’s 27-9 team that lost to eventual national champion Kentucky in the Sweet 16.

“Cody Zeller looks like a Taylor Braun running the court, excepet he is 7-feet tall,” said Bison head coach Saul Phillips. “There is really no one you can compare him to. I haven’t quite seen the likes of him.”